Sylvia Inkweaver
Sylvia Inkweaver General Secretary of the Trader's League Age: 21 Affiliations: Trader's League of Azhahad, formerly Azhahad's Sorcerous College. Physical Description A tall and willowy woman, Sylvia has been graced by the gods with a quiet kind of beauty. Her long dark hair and vivid grey eyes look like something out of a storybook, and these statuesque elements are only aided by her high cheekbones and strong profile. Some might say that her jaw makes her look more masculine, but then again Sylvia hardly has a public following that cares about such things. Hers is a name largely unknown in Azhahad for the moment, save for her recent position in the Trader's League. More often than not, Sylvia is prone to maintaining a stoic demeanor, which means holding on to a practiced neutrality when it comes to dealing with any rivals. This mindset extends to her usual attire: a fitted grey skirt and blazer that extends to her knees, thigh-high boots and a long and elegant black coat. She wears matching leather gloves cut in the most current fashion, and while in public her hair is often tied up into a bun. For the most part, Sylvia avoids any bright colors in her wardrobe, although occasionally she will add a splash of red in the form of blush, a sash or a scarf. Furthermore, Sylvia always carries a black leather messenger bag with her, which contain any papers or files she may need for any given day. Personality As brilliant as she is manipulative, Sylvia is usually one to consider all of the aspects of a thing and plan out all objectives and steps ahead of time. That is not to say that she cannot improvise her way out of any situation that she finds herself in. Indeed, some of her most inspired gambits have come out of the joint application of opportunity, expertise, and timing. If there is anything that her telepathy has taught her, it is that wisdom comes not from knowing all possible ends, but being able to react when the means to those ends change unexpectedly. Sylvia's most powerful trait is arguably her ability to adapt to shifting circumstances - to restructure her thinking processes and her loyalties according to new realities. Throughout the latter half of her life, Sylvia has proven more than capable of her own brand of 'ruthless pragmatism', weaponizing it to eliminate anyone who gets in her way. Of course, while it is better to be feared than loved, it still stands to have a few friends, so the vast majority of the time Sylvia holds back on this nature until she is certain of a swift and decisive victory. Her current position as the Executive Secretary of the Trade League has placed her in a unique situation, wherein she can listen in on the thoughts of some of the most influential economic minds of Azhahad. This is a fact about which she has kept nearly all of her colleagues successfully in the dark, despite having been registered as Gifted some years before. Such obfuscation is made possible through a close friendship with the record-keepers. History Born into the slums of Azhahad, the girl who would become Sylvia Inkweaver did not have a proper name. Those on her street corner called her 'Crow', due to her dark hair and pale skin. She grew up without parents, her father having never been in the picture and her mother having died when she was about three. Childhood did not come easily to Sylvia, who spent a good many of her days looking for the best way to feed, clothe, and shelter herself. Of course, there is nothing leaner than a hungry mind, and soon the girl's savvy began to set her ahead of her slower peers on the streets. She did not know it at the time, but even by those early days she had made herself known to outsiders. One such individual did approach her: a masked man who went by the name of Oberon. He told her that he had recognized her potential and he promised her a proper education, a better life with better opportunities as his ward. Not knowing any better than to trust him, the young Sylvia took him up on his offer. She ended up moving into his sizeable townhouse in the Crater District of city. For the most part, Oberon actually left her to her own devices, although he did occasionally sit her down for lessons. The content of such meetings ran the gamut, falling anywhere between simple tasks like reading and writing, complex logical puzzles and problems of both induction and deduction to the arts of speechcraft and social manipulation. The mysterious man had recognized Sylvia's natural intellect and apparently saw fit to hone her mind further. But it was not enough. One day, nearly two years after having taken her in, Oberon approached her and instructed her that she would be joining the Azhahad Sorcerous College as an initiate, a path that he was ready to fully pay for. Sylvia objected, telling him that she had no magical aptitudes. However, Oberon told her then that the real purpose of her lessons had been to unlock the latent magical ability that he had seen within her: a wellspring of telepathic power. Of course, her Gift as it stood was little more than a fledgling seed, but if she worked hard and applied herself, she might one day be able to read the thoughts of men like a book, and maybe even influence them from afar. Elated, excited, and more than a little bit nervous, Sylvia accepted the path set before her. She was going to become a Sorceress. Of course, it was not to be. Despite training at the College for over a year and progressing quite well in the field of advancing her (now registered) Gift, Sylvia was eventually asked to leave by the administration. She would not be taking the blue. Later, she would be pressed on the issue and asked whether or not her expulsion had anything to do with an illegal trade ring that had been set up through the College around the time of her enrollment. She denied all involvement. When she returned to Oberon, the masked man was strangely calm. He explained to her that if he was interested in funding another state lackey, he would have donated to the College directly. As it stood, Sylvia had bypassed the otherwise lengthy registration process and gained a bit of a name for herself in certain circles. This would serve his purposes far better. That night, Oberon laid out his master plan for Azhahad... Nearly three years later, Sylvia walked in the doors of the Trader's League as the General Secretary. Advantages Intelligence I: Sylvia's mind is undoubtedly one of her strongest assets. While she did not finish her formal training at the College, it was certainly not lack of intellect that led to her premature departure. Indeed, in the field of mental acuity she has proven herself to be more than capable. She tends to play dozens of moves ahead of her opponents, or change the rules of the game when it suits her purposes. Of course, she isn't quite as smart as she thinks she is, but to wit she has yet to meet more than than a few individuals who can outsmart her.' ' Charisma I: Almost from birth, Sylvia has relied on not only her brain. Indeed, her force of personality has proven to be a strong part of what makes her successful in the world of business. Despite her relatively young age, she is certainly attractive enough to capture the attentions of many, despite their associated gender. Sylvia is a great adherent of charm, and her natural magnetism stems a great deal from her ability to put aside her ego for the greater good when it suits her.' ' Magic (Telepathy) II: While smarts and likeability are important to someone in Sylvia's position, what really sets someone like her apart is her Gift. It has been described to her in a number of various ways, but what she knows is that she can direct her own mind to slip into those of others in her vicinity. This allows her to read their surface thoughts as though they were an open book, although the darkest secrets of some still elude her. She may communicate silently to anyone with whom she has already established a link. She has also noticed her own power growing of late, as she is becoming able to delve further into the mindscapes of those around her. Perhaps in time, she will be able to look into the souls of mortals as she was promised. Magic (Subtle Magic) I: The second and equally important part of Sylvia's Gift is its general lack of trace. To the casual subject, her telepathic intrusions are quite hard to detect. Indeed, a brief scan of the average passer-by will leave none the wiser. Even if one were to detect mental magic, her links tend to be obfuscated so that people have a hard time following it back to her. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.